Yesterday a few of us MI Bourbon Hounds were at Amy's and she brought out a bottle of Gosling Black Seal Rum.
I had some neat and immediately knew I have found the rum I have been looking for.
It is as dark and rich as molasses, deep deep taste.
I've never heard of it before so I did some searching and see that it comes with a great price, just under 20 bucks.
OK, here's what I did. Thru the search I see they also have a Gosling Old Rum Family Reserve, dosn't say how much older but after reading a few reviews I knew I had to get some.
A few mouse clicks later and I got one on the way.
One review said "A unique sipping experience when cogac, single barrel bourbon and single malt scotch bore you."
I may be rolling the dice on this Old Rum Family Reserve but the Black Seal was so good that I'm sure I'll come up with 7's and 11's.

harshest

08-06-2010, 10:13

Interesting, I have just recently been looking at rums as well as bourbons. I need to find something better than the Capitan.

Are you talking about the 151 proof or 80 proof?

OscarV

08-06-2010, 10:22

They are both 80 proof, they blend several different rums starting at 151 proof and then cut.
I just learned that the Old Family Reserve is 10 years old.
For 20 bucks you won't be dissapointed with the Black Seal, I think it's worth more.

OscarV

08-06-2010, 10:41

I misunderstood your question, I had the 80 proof Black Seal.
I just checked the MI liquor list and they have a 151 proof also, hmmm now that's interesting.

Not surprisingly, Gary Gillman has a detailed description in this thread which I remembered contributing to a couple years ago. Gosling's is a NDP (not so unusual in the rum biz) but we were disappointed when there was no distillery to be found in Bermuda!

OscarV

08-06-2010, 13:02

(and I'm surprised you hadn't seen Black Seal before!)

Besides bourbon I am very spirits illiterate.
Also Amy pulled out an empty bottle of Old Tom's Ransom Gin.
Wow, great aroma. All you would need with that gin is some muddled lime and ice.

Gillman

08-06-2010, 14:00

Gosling is good with a curry-like note, it's a vatting of different rums but the pot still component is telling. Sampling right now the Canadian Myer's Rum, called here Myer's Rum Plantation Punch Brand. Each bottle is slightly different in finish or some other accent. This current one is superb, with good notes of rubber and oil (showing the pot still origins), milk chocolate and spice/rosewater. Very soft and modulated, which is the luck I think of this particular dump. Really quality stuff and comes at a bargain, it is sold for a bottom shelf price here.

Gary

kickert

08-06-2010, 15:46

There are some contributors to this forum who have greatly contributed to my own appreciation and literacy in the world of Rum. There is some really good stuff out there. I am partial to Flor de Cana and El Dorado in particular.

-bk

CorvallisCracker

08-06-2010, 16:28

Besides bourbon I am very spirits illiterate.
Also Amy pulled out an empty bottle of Old Tom's Ransom Gin.
Wow, great aroma. All you would need with that gin is some muddled lime and ice.

Where the heck did she get that?

Ransom started in a tiny rented space about two hundred feet SW of where I'm sitting right now. Tad Seestedt was initially producing grappa from pomace(1) that he got from Belle Vallee winery (about two hundred feet E of where I'm sitting right now). After teaming up with House Spirits in 2004 they moved to Portland. He also started a winery with another partner, located in McMinniville. In 2008 he opened a new joint winery/distillery in Sheridan, leaving his old still behind at House Spirits, where its main job now is to look quaint for tourists.

He produces small runs of various things; earlier this year he produced some genever style gin; I don't know if any was sold anywhere other than at the distillery. His latest offering is "Whippersnapper" whiskey, a strange blend of malt and corn, aged in a combination of new charred barrels, used bourbon barrels and used Pinot Noir barrels. A given batch will have stuff aged from six to twenty four months. Price is $24.30, a lot less than most craft whiskey (yes, it's a 750ml bottle). I've yet to persuade myself to buy/try any.

Anyway, there's a good bit of the Old Tom about (it's not exactly flying off the shelves), so if you can't find any where you are and would like some, pm me. Price is $35.

Oh, on topic, I like Goslings Black. It's a little better than Myers dark and costs $1.50 less (in OR) so it's a better deal than the Myers.

1. Pomace is the icky stuff left in the bottom of the fermentation tank after they siphon off the wine. It can be used to make a rough brandy ("grappa" in Italy in the USA, "marc" in France). It's also considered to be great hog feed (the pomace, that is)(although I'm sure the hogs would enjoy the grappa as well).

OscarV

08-06-2010, 16:34

Where the heck did she get that?

Binny's in Chicago.
I looked for it in KY last week but it's not there or MI.

CorvallisCracker

08-06-2010, 16:47

Binny's in Chicago.

Ah, yes. I see they're also carrying Ransom Smalls, which is his London Dry style.

bonneamie

08-08-2010, 18:38

I'm glad I could contribute to the delinqu--er--education of Oscar!! It was the spirits guy at Holiday Mkt who recommended the Goslings

jburlowski

08-14-2010, 16:41

Oscar:

Based on your recommendation, I went to the Party Source and picked up the 80 proof reserve. (They also have the regular 80 proof and the 151.)

Haven't tried it yet (hope to do so sometime this weekend) but so far I'm very impressed with the classy and understated packaging.